The present invention relates to a remote control unit for use in a motor vehicle and more particularly, to a remote control unit which is mountable in the vehicle, is operable by means located off the vehicle sun visor and is adapted to remotely activate a plurality of automatic devices, e.g. for opening and closing a plurality of garage doors, parking garage gates, private residence fences, etc. from inside the vehicle.
A conventional remote control unit for activating an automatic device comprises a portable activator including a battery powered transmitter for activating a single automatic device, like a door, gate or fence. The transmitter is either powered by its own internally housed low voltage battery or it may be connected to the vehicle electric power circuit. The portable activator is contained within a housing and may be mounted somewhere in the vehicle. The portable activator is often mounted on a sun visor by a clip provided on the activator housing for removably attaching the activator to the sun visor of a vehicle.
However, such a portable activator is easily removed or misplaced or even stolen from a vehicle, in the latter case providing an unauthorized person access to a home or parking garage. In addition, if the activator is not permanently positioned for use, then before the activator can be used, it must be removed from its storage location, such as the visor or glove compartment. After use, the activator must be returned to its storage location. Further, if more than one automatic device, like a garage door, parking gate or private residence fence, is to be operated from a single vehicle, a separate portable activator for each automatic device is typically provided and stored in the vehicle. This multiplies the above problems and adds a problem of determining which activator is to be used with each automatic device.
Another conventional vehicle garage door activator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,850 in which an operator controlled radio transmitter for activating only a single door, gate or fence is mounted on a visor of the vehicle. The activator includes an electric circuit for controlling the transmitter, an LED for indicating operation of the circuit and a switch for activating the circuit. The switch and LED are mounted on a frame of a vanity mirror provided on the visor. Perhaps the switch may be located elsewhere on the visor body, either on the surface that is exposed when the visor is lowered into its position of use or upraised when it is out of use. Also, as is conventional, the visor is pivotally attached to the vehicle ceiling to allow a vehicle occupant to rotatably adjust the orientation of the visor.
When a vehicle occupant activates the switch of the activator, the visor on which the switch is supported is rotated away from the driver making, it difficult for the driver to operate the switch, especially using only one hand. The driver could hold the visor steady with one hand and activate the switch with the other hand, which is impossible with a moving vehicle, or the occupant will have to restore the visor to its previous position after operating the switch. Further, the weight of the vanity mirror, the activator switch, LED and the activator circuitry and transmitter added to the visor may require sturdier and consequently more expensive visor mounting brackets.
Furthermore, the activator shown in the '850 patent can only be used to activate one automatic device. Thus, if a driver needs to operate an additional device, additional visor mounted activators are required. In addition, if a driver changes the door, gate or fence the vehicle is to pass, the entire visor assembly might have to be replaced with a new visor having a corresponding activator or the visor would have to be disassembled to change the activator.